In closing America’s Job Bank, the country’s first national job site, the U.S. Department of Labor cited its outdated technology and claimed that it duplicated what was already available in the private sector. But the department has refused to make public any comprehensive study weighing the pros and cons. And there was a good deal of evidence that argued for the site’s preservation.

Executives disclosing their sexual orientation would improve their companies’ reputations in an era when transparency is increasingly valued. But some observers say the downfall of BP’s chief indicates there’s still pressure to stay in the closet.